Candles
by Archerelf
Summary: 10 years, 10 candles. It was simple enough. Every year on his birthday she’d go with one more candle than the previous year. She'd go every year until he came home. Oneshot.SasuSaku


Candles:

By

Archerelf

Summary: 10 years, 10 candles. It was simple enough. She'd go every year on his birthday and lit one more than the previous year. SasuSaku.

Note: I'm still working on my other stories, my friend Alex somehow inspired this one though.

Disclaimer: Do I even need to put this?

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**White is for the purity gone**

**Blue is for the hate that's dawned**

**Red is for the blood surely shed**

**Black is for the lifeless dead**

**Yellow is for the mocking sun**

**Green is for the deed that's done**

**Orange is for a happy face**

**Purple is for your dieing race**

**Gray is for the clouded sky**

**Pink is for every tear I've cried**

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10 years, 10 candles. It was simple enough. Every year on his birthday she'd go to the temple with one more candle than the previous year. This year it was pink. All the candles were big tapers. She'd sit in silent meditation till every candle burned out. Most of the time she just remembered.

**White is for the purity gone**

The first year he was gone she lit a white candle. The village was practically in shambles and it seemed as if the very purity of the place had died. That year she remembered the first day of training with Kakashi. He had given his box to the annoyance. No matter how tough he looked on the outside, he'd always have a soft spot for his team.

**Blue is for the hate that's dawned**

The next year was blue, a color of sorrow. He'd sworn to kill someone and if that meant selling your soul to a snake to do it, so be it. All the hate…it had been toxic.

**Red is for the blood surely shed**

The next year was red. She remembered the exams. When a Sound ninja had attacked, he nearly ripped their arms off. Three years into his training surely meant some innocents had died by now. That candle was to honor their memory.

**Black is for the lifeless dead**

That year was black, a mourning color. The murder of his clan had prompted this. Spilt blood eventually would turn black. It was a color of hate as well.

**Yellow is for the mocking sun**

The next year was yellow. No matter how good a day outside, it always seemed like the happy sun was mocking her. They lived and breathed under the same sun. In a way, she envied it. It could see where he was, or who he was battling. Yellow is supposed to be happy. Not this time.

**Green is for the deed that's done**

Green: it means life, dead and renewal. That year was a deep green candle. The real boy had come to life in his training. Joining the snake killed him. As for renewal? There was always next year.

**Orange is for a happy face**

Orange was a bright, bold color; obnoxious, just like their teammate. He would always carry the burden of not being able to bring him back. No matter how many smiles or dumb words, he was hurt. Just as they all were. Maybe deeper than the rest.

**Purple is for your dieing race**

Purple's a deep, royal color. He'd always carried himself like nobility. But the reason she chose purple was because it was so deep. Just like him. Just like his clan. Just like a mass extinction, there were only two left. And ultimately deep bonds would be severed. Then there would be just one.

**Gray is for the clouded sky**

She honored their teacher that next year. He'd blamed himself personally for not being able to help him. There was nothing any of them could do. They just sat around in a circle, silent, under a cloudy sky a few days later. It would always be cloudy, until he came home.

**Pink is for every tear I've cried**

Sakura lit the next candle for herself. 10 years it had been. 10 long, long years. She'd spent of a lot of that time on her own. Anything to push the thought of him from her mind. But she'd gotten better. More training and work had shaped her. Everyone had their own history, and everyone had their own path to take. Each had risen to the occasion and done magnificently. Almost, anyway. Some things would never change. There would be laziness, gorging, branch issues, shrieking, lots of weapons, spandex and lots of ramen.

Sakura picked up the bag she'd been carrying her things and left. It was sundown and there was a beautiful set of shadows on the hill. A sudden shadow blocked her view.

Spiky hair. Really tall. Same black eyes.

He was home.

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Please Read and Review: I know it's a one shot and crappy but reviews make me happy! 


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